Fuel distributing apparatus



v Jan. 4, 1938. N. M. LOWER 2,104,706

FUEL DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS I Original Filed Feb. 13; 1929 if i 4 9 2 INVENTOR.

Nathan M. Lowe/ Patented Jan. 4, 1938 FUEL DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Nathan M. Lower, Tuckahoe, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Standard Stoker Company, Inc., (1922), New York, N.

poration of Delaware Y., a cor- Original application February 13, 1929, Serial No.

339,544. Divided and this application Decentber 20, 1933, Serial No. 703,197

, 16 Claims. (curt-101) This invention relates to a fuel distributing apparatus for fireboxes to be used in connection with mechanical stoke'rs and is the result of much experimenting to provide a means for dis- 5 tributing both large and fine coal uniformly over the grates to maintain a level fire. The provision of such means is the main object of this invention.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the fuel distributing apparatus projecting in the firing opening of a locomotive firebox.

V Fig. 2 is a part sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Y

Fig. 3 is a front end view of the fuel distributing apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the jetcasting. I

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the jet openings of the fuel distributing apparatus and illustrates the method of discharging large and fine coal.

Fig. 6 isa vertical sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Similar reference characters in' the following description designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

The numeral l designates the backhead of a locomotive boiler 'with the firing opening 2 through which the fuel is supplied to the firebox by hand or by stoker. 3.

Arranged within the firing opening 2 is the fuel distributing apparatus, designated as a whole by the numeral 4. This apparatus is supported on the bottom of the firing opening 2 by the special stud .5 and is secured to the stoker fuel conduit 3 by the hook-bolt 6. The fuel distributing apparatus 4 comprises the jet member or casting I and the distributor plate or table 8. The jet member I is provided with a top wall- 40, constituting a support for the fuel as it is conveyed through the stoker ccnduit 3 by a conveyor screw II. This wall 40 terminates 7 state they are more efliciently distributed over the firebed by the action of pressure fluid jets, to be hereinafter described. These jets of pres-- sure fluid aid in dispersing the fuel since they are arranged to project some of the fuel before 5 it falls onto the table 8 but only after it has passed over the edge 42. At the lower portion of the forward end of the jet casting I is the forwardly extending flange 9. The table 8 is secured to the top of the flange 9 by-the screws III. The tops of the screws III are made to come flush with the top surface of the table 8 to provide a smooth surface over which the fuel is discharged by the jets at the forward end of the jet casting l.

It has been found that the present steam jet fuel distributing apparatus in which a single horizontal row of jets is provided to discharge the fuel into the firebox does not distribute evenly over the grate. This is because the pmsure of the jets can not be regulated to suit the various sizes of fuel that. fall before them. .A small lump will be blown to the front. of the grates while a large lump will not'be blown nearly so far. By referring to Figure 5 of the drawing it will 'be seen that I have overcome this disadvantage by providing an upper horizontal row I I and a lower horizontal row I 2 of jet openings which are formed in the front wall 30 of the jet member I. The blasts of pressure fluid issuing from the jet openings ll, l2 are the sole means for projecting the fuel over the flrebed and a sufficient number of these jets is made possible by reason of the fact that the front wall or face 30 is of aheight suficient to assure the desired drop for the fuel passing over the edge 42. The small lumps of fuel will be discharged by a single jet while the largelumps will be discharged by a plurality of jets. The upper row of jet openings II are in communication with the cored chamber. l3 and the lower row of jet openings l2 are in communication with the cored chamber II. The two chambers l3 and I4, are separated from'each other by the horizontal partition l5. On each side of the double row of jet openings is a single row l6 and I1. drilled in the angular faces I60 and Ila respectively for discharging the fuel to the rear portion of the sides and the rear corners of the firebox. The side'portions 3|, 32 of the plate 8 are sloped downwardly from the straight central portion 33 to facilitate the discharge of coal to the rear corners of the firebox. The side rows of jet openings l6 and II are in commimication with cored lateral chambers II and I! respective- 1y. The cored chambers l3, l4, l8, and I9 extend to the rear of the jet casting I and have pipe lines 20, 2|, 22, and 23 respectively leadfiector vanes 44, 45 are provided, one at each side of the delivery end of the stokerconduit. Each vane is pivotally mounted at its rearward end whereby the 'forward end thereof may be set to intersect the respective angular faces Ilia, Na, in difierent positions. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 2, the vane 44 is set in such relation with the angular face Ilia that more fuel falls in front of the jet openings "5, than in front of the jet openings I! in angular face Ila it being apparent that the setting of the vane 45 is nearer to the axis of the conduit than the setting of the vane 44.

The jet openings are drilled at various angles so that each jet will supply a particular area of the grate. For aiding in directing the fuel to the particular area to which it is to be discharged I have provided the radial forwardly diverging ribs 24 on the table 8. These ribs 24 are preferably positioned centrally between the jet openings in the lower row I! and below the level of the upper row of jet openings ll. They can either be made separately and secured to the table 8 or be cast integral with the table 8.

I have illustrated this invention in connection with a Stoker having a screw delivering to the firing opening of the firebox but it should be understood that any type of stoker conveying means can be combined with this invention, and I do not limit myself just to the combination illustrated.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 339,544, filed February 13, 1929, for Fuel distributing apparatus, which application issued December 3, 1935, as United States Letters Patent 2,022,966.

I claim:

1. In a fuel distributing apparatus, the combination with a boiler firebox, having a backhead with a firing opening therein and a stoker conduit in communication with said opening, of a jet member at the loweredge of the discharge end of said conduit, said jet member being horizontally divided into a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a horizontal row of radiating jet openings directed forward, means for supply fluid under pressure to said chambers, means for independently controlling the pressure of the fluid in said chambers, a distributor plate immediately forward of said jetopenings and slightly below the same, and laterally spaced radiating ribs on the upper surface of said plate forming longitudinally extending channels, said jetm'ember and said distributor plate arranged with the channelsof the plate positioned in substantially the same forwardly extending vertical planes as the jet openingsof the lower row.

2.'In a fuel distributing apparatus, the combination with a boiler firebox having a backhead with a firing opening therein and a stoker conduit in communication with said opening, of a jet member at the lower edge of-' the dischargetend of said conduit, said jet member being horizontally divided into a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a horizontal row of radiating jet openings directed forward, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said chambers, means for independently controlling the pressure of the fluid in said chambers, a distributor plate immediately forward of said jet openings and slightly below the same, and laterally spaced radiating ribs on" member at the lower edge of the discharge end W of said conduit, two parallel horizontal rows of jet openings in the central portion'of the forward end of said jet member, a-single row ofjet openings at each side of said double row, means for supplying fluid under pressure to the jet openings, means for independently controlling the pressure of the fluid in each of the central rows of jet openings and each of the side rows of jet openings, a distributor plate immediately forward of said jet openings and slightly below the same, and laterally spaced radiating ribs on the upper surface of said plate forming longitudinally extending channels, said jet member and said distributor plate arranged with the channels of the plate positioned in substantially the same forwardly extending vertical planes as the jet openings of the lower row.

4. In a fuel distributing apparatus, the combination with a boiler firebox having a backhead with a firing opening therein and a stoker conduit 'in communication with said opening, a jet member at the lower edge of the' discharge end of said conduit, said jet member being horizontally divided into a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a horizontal row of radiating jet openings, the jet openings in the top row being in vertical aiinement with the jet openings in the bottom row, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said chambers, means for independently controlling the pressure of the fluid in said chambers, a distributorplate immediately forward of said jet openings and slightly below the same, and laterally spaced radiating ribs on the upper surface of said plate forming longitudinally extending channels, said jet member and said distributor plate arranged with the channels of-the plate positioned in substantially the same forwardly extending verticalplanes as the jet openings of the lower row.

5. In a fuel distributing apparatus, the combination with'a boiler firebox having a backhead with a firing opening therein and a stoker con duit in communication with said'opening, of a jet member at the lower edge of the discharge end of said conduit, said jet'member being horizontally divided into a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a horizontal row of radiat ing jet openings directed forward and located forward ofthe inside sheet =of the backhand, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said chambers, means for independently controlling the pressure of the fluidin said chambers,- a disopenings and slightly belowthe same, and-latn an erally spaced radiating ribs on the v channels, said jet member and said distributor plate arranged with the channels of the plate positioned in substantially the same forwardly extending vertical planes as the jet openings of the lower row. I

6. In combination, a boiler firebox having a backhead with a firingopening therein, a stoker conduit in communication with said opening, a jet member at the lower edge of the discharge end of the conduit, saidjet member being divided into a plurality of chambers, at their discharge ends disposed vertically with respect to each other, each. of said chambers receiving pressure fluid at a point rearward of said firebox and externally of said stoker conduit, each chamber extending into the nrebox through said firing opening and having a horizontal row of radiating jet openings directed forward from the front face thereof, means for independently controlling the fluid pressure in each of said chambers, a distributor plate extending forwardly into the firebox from a point below said jet openings, and laterally spaced radiating ribs on the upper surface of saidplate forming longitudinally- .extendingchannels, said jet member and said'distrib'utor plate arranged with the channels of the plate positioned in substantially the same forwardly extending vertical planes as the jet openings of the lower row.

7. In combination, a boiler firebox having a backhead and a firing opening therein, a stoker conduit in communication with said opening and including a separable jet member at the discharge end thereof, said jet member being horizontally divided into a plurality of chambers, each chamber having a horizontal row of radiatingjet openings directed forward, means for supplying'pressure fluid to said chambers, means for independently controlling, the pressure of the fluid in said chambers, adistributor plate separable from and secured to said jet member disposed immediately forward'of said jet openings and slightly below the same, and laterally spaced radiating ribs on the upper surface of said a plate forming longitudinally extending channels, said jet-member and said distributor portion of said plate.

platearranged with the channels of the plate positioned in substantially thev same forwardly extending, vertical planes as the jet openings of the lower row.

8. A fuel distributor for stokers comprising a jet member including anupstanding wall and having a plurality' of internal chambers disposed vertically with respect to each other, each chamber being arranged to receive pressure fluid and having a horizontal row of radiating jet openings directedthrough the named upstanding wall of said member, and a'distributor plate extending forward from said wall and disposed in a substantially horizontal plane below said jet openings, the upper surface of said plate being provided with laterally spaced radiating ribs forming longitudinally extending channels, said jet member and said distributor plate arranged a distributor plate detachably connected to said member, said plate being supported from said member and having one side in contact with the named wall of said jet member, the upper surface of said plate being provided with laterally spaced ribs forming longitudinally extending channels, said jet member and said distributor plate arranged with the channels of the plate positioned in substantially the same forwardly extending vertical planes as the jet openings of the lower row.

10. In combination, a stoker conduit, a chambered jet member at the delivery end of said conduit including an upstanding wall extending transversely thereof and having a central por-- tion and side portions facing outwardly and disposed angularly with'respect to the central portion, a distributor plate extending forwardly from said jet member, said plate having a substantially horizontally disposed central portion immediately forward of the central portion of said upstanding wall and downwardly sloping side portions adjacent said side portions of the tion, a distributor plate extending forwardly from said jet member, said plate having a substantially horizontally-disposed central portion immediately forward of the central portion of said upstanding wall and downwardly sloping side portions adjacent said side portions of the upstanding wall, the latter having a plurality of jet openings in its central portion arranged in a plurality of parallel rows and in vertical alignment directed over the central portion of said plate and at least one jet opening in each side portion directed over a respective sloping side 12. In combination, astoker conduit, a chambered jet member at the delivery end of said conduit including an upstanding wall extending transversely thereof and having a central portion and side portions facing outwardly and 'disside portion directed over a respective side portion of said plate, said plate having an upstanding fuel. deflecting surface at eachend thereof interposed between the jets discharging from the centrally disposed jet openings and the jets discharging from the side jet openings.

13. In combination, a stokerconduit, a chambered jet member at the delivery end of said conduit includingan upstanding wall extending transversely thereof and having a central portion and side portions facing outwardly and dis-.

posed angularly with respect to the central portion, a distributor plate extending forwardly from said jet member, said plate having a substantially horizontally disposed central portion immediately forward of the central portion of said upstanding wall and downwardly sloping ,side portions adjacent said side portions of the and at least one jet opening in each side portion directed over a respective sloping side portionof said plate, and an upstanding rib at each end of said plate interposed between the jets discharging from the centrally disposed jetopenings and the jets discharging from the side jet openings; r:

14. As a new article of manufacture, a distributor jet member for a stoker including in operative position an upstanding transversely extending wall of greater width than height, said up-' 'in a plane angularly related with respect to the plane of said central portion, an approximately flat plate-like member joining the contiguous top edges of the central and end portions of said upstanding wall, a wall spaced beneath said platelike member, and aoplurality of partition walls in the space included between said last named wall and said flat plate-like member, and between the central and end portions of said upstanding wall defining chambers spaced one above the other and disposed at said upstanding wail centrally between the ends thereof, and a pair of spaced side chambers disposed one at each .side of the aforesaid centrally disposed chambers, each side chamber being positioned adjacent a respective end portion of said upstanding wall, the latter havingjet openings in its central portion communicating with said centrally. disposed chambers and at least one jet opening in each end portion communicating with a. respective side chamber, the jet openings in the central, portion of said upstanding wall in- V cluding'plurally grouped jet openings divided into having an inlet opening adjacent the end of said flat plate-like member remote from said upstanding wall. 7

15. In combination, a stoker conduit, a distributor jet member at the delivery end of said conduit including an upstanding wall extending transversely thereof andhaving a central por-' tion and side portions facing outwardly and disposed angularly with respect to the central portion, said jet member being provided with a plurality of vertically spaced chambers at the said upstanding wall and a chamber at each side portion, a distributor plate extending forwardly from the central and, side portions of said upstanding wall, the latter having laterally spaced groups of jet openings in its central portion directed over the central portion of said distributor plate and at least one jet opening in 'each side portion communicating with a respective chamber at such side portion and beingdirected over a respective side portion of said distributor plate, the jet openings in the central portion of said upstanding wall including plurally grouped jet openings divided into upper and lower rows, each group communicating with a respective chamher at said upstanding wall, the jet'openings in the upper and lower rows being in approximate vertical alignment, and means for supplying pressure fluid to said chambers.

16. In combination, a stoker conduit, a distributor jet member at the delivery'end of said conduit including an upstanding wall extending transversely thereof, a distributor plate extending forwardly from said upstanding wall, said jet member being provided with a plurality of vertically spaced chambers at the upstanding wall and located between the ends of said upstanding tical alignment, said upstanding wall being provided with a jet communicating with each of said side chambers, said jets being disposed at an oblique angle with respect to the median line of said jet member, and means for supplying pressure fluid to said chambers.

NATHAN M. LOWER. 

